The 7 Types of Things Every Business Sells (And How to Choose Yours)

Think about the early stages of starting a business — one of the biggest questions that comes up is: “What should I sell?”

Now, this isn’t some quick-and-easy question. Even seasoned entrepreneurs lose sleep over it. But before running off with half-baked ideas, it’s important to narrow down

what can actually be sold.

And surprise, surprise — there are far fewer options than most would guess. Understanding these basics makes the path to an ideal product or service a whole lot clearer. So, let’s dive into the seven categories you can sell and explore how each can shape the journey.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

The Magnificent Seven: What You Can Sell

Ready for a reality check? Almost everything that’s sold falls into seven basic categories. Forget the endless business jargon — it’s all here, boiled down to the essentials. Let’s take a look:

1. Products: It can be as tangible as a bottle of water or as virtual as a PDF guide. Physical products are the items you touch, feel, and ship, while digital products are the downloads sold from anywhere.
2. Services: This is anything done for someone else. If giving massages or mowing lawns, that’s physical service. If designing a website, that’s…